Disney, McDonald’s in Double-Decker Deal

Get ready for a decade of McDisneyburgers. And who knows? Maybe there’s a graceful way to work Ronald McDonald into the plot lines of Touchstone movies.

Walt Disney Co. and McDonald’s Corp. on Thursday officially confirmed a 10-year promotional alliance that will link the companies’ marketing strategies in 93 countries.

“It’s all, I think, a part of focusing on those activities that can really cement our relationship with consumers around the globe,” McDonald’s senior vice president for marketing, David Green, said in a telephone interview from corporate headquarters in suburban Chicago.

Disney President Michael S. Ovitz, who has deep ties to another global icon of America, Coca-Cola Co., said companies whose brands are best known and most trusted will succeed in the expanding world marketplace.

“McDonald’s and Disney are two such brands,” Ovitz said in a statement from Disney’s Burbank headquarters. “Our alliance will further enhance recognition of our preeminence in our respective industries.”

The alliance revives Disney-McDonald’s ties that went slack after a 1990 dispute over Disney’s flop “Dick Tracy.” Disney mainly turned to Burger King, the No. 2 hamburger chain, to promote movies such as “Aladdin,” “Lion King” and “Toy Story.”

Burger King, based in Florida, issued a news release that said the company is “disappointed we will not be continuing our relationship with Disney.”

However, the release said Burger King’s success had been “driven by a broader value strategy . . . that will continue to deliver sustainable results.”

Because of its strength, Burger King has a “wide array of promotional options,” the statement said. Meanwhile, the company said, Burger King will honor its contractual commitments with Disney, including promotion of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Beginning in January, McDonald’s will become Disney’s primary promotional partner in the restaurant industry, sharing exclusive rights in more than 93 countries.

McDonald’s 18,700 restaurants will promote Disney movies, theme parks and home videos. It will sponsor the Dinoland attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, opening in 1998 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It will also have restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris.

The deal is one in a series of mega-pacts among purveyors of pop culture, including Disney’s purchase of ABC and its recent agreement to give Barbie maker Mattel global toy rights. Another recent deal will marry the “Star Wars” characters and PepsiCo’s sodas, Frito-Lay snack chips and Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC restaurants.

McDonald’s partners include the National Basketball Assn. and the soccer World Cup.

Terms of the deal were not announced. Disney spokesman John Dreyer said Ovitz and Chairman Michael D. Eisner were in meetings and unavailable for comment. Dreyer said McDonald’s movie promotions would focus on Walt Disney films, though those from Disney’s Touchstone or Hollywood Pictures studios, which focus on more mature themes, have not been ruled out.

“There are opportunities for that, but it’s primarily Disney films, the Disney brand,” Dreyer said.